INGABE kunesabelo ebandleni ofisa ukunikezwa sona kodwa ongeke ukwazi ukusifeza manje? Kungenzeka yisabelo esinikezwe omunye. Noma mhlawumbe yisabelo senkonzo, noma ilungelo oke walijabulela. Kodwa ngenxa yokukhula, impilo engeyinhle, izinkinga zomnotho noma imithwalo yokunakekela umndeni, awusakwazi ukufeza leso sabelo. Noma kungenzeka kuke kwadingeka ushiye isabelo owawusunesikhathi eside usifeza ngenxa yezinguquko enhlanganweni. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi siyini isizathu, ungase ube nomuzwa wokuthi awukwenzi konke ongathanda ukukwenza enkonzweni kaNkulunkulu. Ezimweni ezinjalo, kuyaqondakala ukuthi ungase uzizwe udumazekile ngezinye izikhathi. Noma kunjalo, yini engakusiza ungavumeli ukudumazeka noma ukuphatheka kabi kwakheke enhliziyweni yakho? Ungahlala kanjani ujabule?

Sinesibonelo esihle esingasisiza sihlale sijabule, isibonelo sikaJohane uMbhapathizi. UJohane wajabulela amalungelo amakhulu, kodwa kungenzeka wayengakulindele lokho okwakuzokwenzeka ekuphileni kwakhe njengoba ayekhonza uJehova. Mhlawumbe wayengacabangi ukuthi wayezoba sejele isikhathi eside kunaleso ayesichithe enkonzweni yakhe. Noma kunjalo, uJohane wahlala ejabule ukuphila kwakhe konke. Yini eyamsiza? Thina singahlala kanjani sijabule ngisho nalapho sibhekana nezinto ezisidumazayo?

Entwasahlobo ka-29 C.E., uJohane waqala isabelo sakhe sokusiza abantu balungele ukufika kukaMesiya, ethi: “Phendukani, ngoba umbuso wamazulu ususondele.” (Math. 3:2; Luka 1:12-17) Abaningi bamlalela. Empeleni, kweza izixuku zivela kude zizolalela umlayezo wakhe futhi abaningi baphenduka, babhapathizwa. Ngesibindi, uJohane waphinde waxwayisa abaholi benkolo abaqhoshayo ngesahlulelo esasizobafikela uma bengaphenduki. (Math. 3:5-12) Wafeza isabelo esikhulu kunazo zonke enkonzweni yakhe ekwindla ka-29 C.E. lapho ebhapathiza uJesu. Kusukela lapho, uJohane wasiza abanye ukuba balandele uJesu, uMesiya owayethenjisiwe.—Joh. 1:32-37.

Ephawula ngendima ebalulekile kaJohane, uJesu wathi: “Phakathi kwabazelwe ngabesifazane  akuzange kuvezwe omkhulu kunoJohane uMbhapathizi.” (Math. 11:11) Akungabazeki ukuthi uJohane wazijabulela izibusiso azinikezwa. NjengoJohane, abaningi namuhla baye bajabulela izibusiso ezicebile. Cabanga ngesibonelo sikaTerry. Yena nomkakhe, uSandra, sebeneminyaka engaphezu kuka-50 besenkonzweni yesikhathi esigcwele. UTerry uthi: “Maningi amalungelo esengiye ngawajabulela. Sengiye ngakhonza njengephayona, ilungu laseBethel, iphayona elikhethekile, umbonisi wesigodi, umbonisi wesifunda futhi manje sengikhonza njengephayona elikhethekile futhi.” Kuyajabulisa ukuthola amalungelo enkonzo, kodwa njengoba sizofunda esibonelweni sikaJohane, ukuhlala sijabule lapho izimo zethu zishintsha kudinga umzamo.

UJohane uMbhapathizi wakwazi ukukhuthazela ngenxa yokuthi waqhubeka enokwazisa ngamalungelo ayewanikeziwe. Cabanga ngalesi sibonelo. Ngemva kokubhapathiza uJesu, inkonzo kaJohane yaqala ukuncipha kuyilapho ekaJesu iqala ukukhula. Bekhathazekile, abafundi bakaJohane beza kuye bathi: “Bheka, uyabhapathiza futhi bonke baya kuye.” (Joh. 3:26) UJohane waphendula: “Onomlobokazi ungumkhwenyana. Nokho, umngane womkhwenyana, lapho ema futhi emuzwa, ujabula kakhulu ngenxa yezwi lomkhwenyana. Ngakho-ke le njabulo yami yenziwe yagcwala.” (Joh. 3:29) UJohane wayengaqophisani noJesu futhi wayengacabangi ukuthi ilungelo ayenikezwe lona alisasho lutho uma liqhathaniswa nesabelo sikaJesu esibalulekile. Kunalokho, uJohane wahlala ejabule ngoba wayeyazisa indima yakhe ‘njengomngane womkhwenyana.’

Ukwazisa uJohane ayenako kwamsiza wahlala enokwaneliseka naphezu kwezimfuneko ezazilindelekile esabelweni sakhe. Ngokwesibonelo, uJohane wayengumNaziri kusukela ekuzalweni kwakhe ngakho kwakungamelwe aphuze iwayini. (Luka 1:15) Ekhuluma ngokuphila okulula kukaJohane, uJesu wathi, “UJohane weza engadli futhi engaphuzi.” Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uJesu nabafundi bakhe babengabekelwe leyo mingcele futhi cishe babephila ukuphila okuvamile. (Math. 11:18, 19) Ngaphezu kwalokho, nakuba uJohane ayengazenzi izimangaliso, wayazi ukuthi abafundi bakaJesu, kuhlanganise nabathile ababengabalandeli bakaJohane ekuqaleni, banikezwa amandla okwenza izimangaliso. (Math. 10:1; Joh. 10:41) Kunokuba aphatheke kabi ngenxa yalokho, uJohane wagxila esabelweni ayesinikezwe uJehova.

Uma nathi sisazisa isabelo esisifezayo manje enkonzweni kaJehova, singakwazi ukuhlala sijabule. UTerry okukhulunywe ngaye uthi, “Ngagxila esabelweni ngasinye engangisinikeziwe.” Uma ecabanga ngenkonzo yakhe yesikhathi esigcwele, uthi, “Angizisoli ngalutho, kunalokho ngikhumbula izinto ezinhle zodwa.”

Singayijulisa injabulo yethu enkonzweni kaNkulunkulu ngokuzindla ngalokho okwenza izabelo zenkonzo zibe ezikhethekile, ilungelo lokuba “izisebenzi ezikanye noNkulunkulu.” (1 Kor. 3:9) Njengoba ukupholisha isitsha esiyigugu kungasenza sihlale sicwebezela, ukuzindla ngelungelo elikhulu lokukhonza uNkulunkulu kungasisiza singavumeli imizwa engalungile ukuba iqede injabulo yethu. Sizokugwema ukuqhathanisa izabelo zethu nezabanye. Ngeke sibe nomuzwa wokuthi izabelo zethu azibalulekile uma ziqhathaniswa nezabanye.—Gal. 6:4.

Kungenzeka uJohane wayazi ukuthi inkonzo yakhe yayizophela, kodwa cishe wayengazi ukuthi izophela nini. (Joh. 3:30) Ngo-30 C.E., ngemva kwezinyanga ezingaba yisithupha ebhapathize uJesu, uJohane waboshwa iNkosi uHerode. Noma kunjalo, uJohane wenza konke ayengakwenza ukuze aqhubeke enikeza ubufakazi. (Marku 6:17-20) Yini eyayingamsiza ahlale ejabule phakathi nalezi zinguquko? Wahlala egxile ekukhonzeni uJehova.

Ngesikhathi uJohane esejele, wathola imibiko ngenkonzo kaJesu eyandayo. (Math. 11:2; Luka 7:18) UJohane wayeqiniseka ngokuthi uJesu unguMesiya kodwa kungenzeka wayezibuza ukuthi kazi uJesu wayeyokugcwalisa kanjani  konke lokho imiBhalo eyayikubikezele ngoMesiya. Njengoba uMesiya ayezoba inkosi, ingabe kwase kuseduze ukuba uJesu aqale ukubusa? Ingabe lokho kwakuzokwenza ukuba uJohane adedelwe ejele? Emagange ukuthola ukuqonda okucacile ngendima kaJesu, uJohane wathuma abafundi bakhe ababili ukuba bayobuza uJesu: “Ingabe wena unguYe Ozayo noma kumelwe silindele omunye?” (Luka 7:19) Lapho bebuya, kumelwe ukuba uJohane walalelisisa lapho bemchazela ukuthi uJesu wayephulukise abantu ngokuyisimangaliso futhi wathi abaphindele kuJohane bamtshele lokhu: “Izimpumputhe ziyabona, izinyonga ziyahamba, abanochoko bayahlanjululwa nezithulu ziyezwa, abafileyo bayavuswa, abampofu batshelwa izindaba ezinhle.”—Luka 7:20-22.

Akungabazeki ukuthi uJohane kwamqinisa ukuzwa lokhu. Kwamqinisekisa ngokuthi uJesu wayezigcwalisa iziprofetho zikaMesiya. Nakuba ukufika kukaJesu kwakungeke kuholele ekutheni uJohane adedelwe ejele, uJohane wayazi ukuthi inkonzo yakhe yayingelona ize. Naphezu kwezimo ayebhekene nazo, wayenesizathu sokujabula.

NjengoJohane, uma sigxila ekukhonzeni uJehova, sizokwazi ukukhuthazela ngenjabulo nangokubekezela. (Kol. 1:9-11) Lokhu singakwenza ngokufunda iBhayibheli nangokuzindla ngalo ukuze lisikhumbuze ukuthi inkonzo esiyenzela uNkulunkulu ayilona ize. (1 Kor. 15:58) USandra uthi: “Ukufunda isahluko seBhayibheli usuku ngalunye kungisize ngasondelana nakakhulu noJehova. Kungisiza ngigxile kuye, hhayi kimi.” Singafunda nemibiko yomsebenzi woMbuso engasisiza sibheke ngale kwalokho esibhekene nakho, sigxile kulokho uJehova akufezayo. USandra uthi, “Izinhlelo zanyanga zonke ze-JW Broadcasting^® zisenza sizizwe sisondelene nenhlangano futhi zisisiza sihlale sijabule esabelweni sethu.”

UJohane uMbhapathizi wafeza inkonzo yakhe emfushane “ngomoya nangamandla ka-Eliya,” futhi njengo-Eliya, “wayengumuntu onemizwa efana neyethu.” (Luka 1:17; Jak. 5:17) Uma silingisa isibonelo sakhe, sibe nokwazisa futhi sigxile ekukhonzeni uJehova, nathi singahlala sijabule enkonzweni yethu yoMbuso, kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwenzekani.